Lebanon: Political Parties Unable to Stop Withdrawal of Members Following October's Revolution

Arab World

November 1st, 11:29am

Beirut - Paula Astih

Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri chairs al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc meeting, August 2018 (Photo: Dalati and Nohra)

Lebanon’s political parties have so far failed to stop the continuous withdrawal of members as a result of last year’s popular protests and the political leaders’ inability to address the deteriorating social and economic crises The wave of withdrawals has particularly affected the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), which is led by former Minister and MP Gebran Bassil, President Michel Aoun’s son-in-law. Several members expressed their resentment at Aoun’s dealing with the consecutive crises that hit the country over the past year. In this regard, former FPM senior member Antoine Nasrallah told Asharq Al-Awsat: “Several deputies have decided to abandon the [FPM’s] Strong Lebanon parliamentary bloc, which is an indication of the prevailing resentment.” “Instead of addressing what is happening, the head of the (FPM) is counting on the major changes in the region to regroup the members, which, in my opinion, is a wrong bet,” he added. Al-Mustaqbal Movement has also been suffering from the withdrawal of its members. Former MP Mustafa Alloush pointed in this regard to the absence of President Saad Hariri for a while and the political settlement that contributed to the arrival of Aoun to the presidency. “People are now concerned with other problems. They are turning away from political and sectarian slogans and focus on securing their livelihood. Therefore, if there is someone who can help them improve their financial and social conditions, he will succeed in attracting them again,” Alloush emphasized. Ali al-Amin, a prominent Shiite opponent of Hezbollah, pointed to “a clear decline in the size of the supporters of the Shiite duo”, represented by Amal Movement and Hezbollah. He also talked about “disappointment and weak confidence in the duo’s ability to meet the aspirations of the Shiite citizens at the economic and living levels.”

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2598896/lebanon-political-parties-unable-stop-withdrawal-members-following-octobers